Washington: United States President Barack Obama had approved sending of about 1500 additional troop to double the number to help Iraqi forces to fight ISIS in Iraq.
Notify that there are about 1,400 U.S. troops in Iraq.
President Obama also requested an additional $5.6 billion for the war against the Islamic State on Friday to cover the additional deployments.
This decision of President Obama had reflect a deepening U.S. involvement in the region, though the White House again stressed that U.S. personnel “will not be in combat,” but rather training, advising and assisting Iraqi forces near Baghdad and Irbil.
As part of an effort to give Iraqi forces the time and space to mount a more effective offensive, U.S. has been launching airstrikes on Islamic State group militants and facilities in Iraq and Syria for weeks.
Early on, the Islamic State group gained ground across Iraq, as local Iraqi units had surrender fled or joined the insurgents.
For briefing a bipartisan congressional group, President Obama on Friday invited CENTCOM Commander Gen. Lloyd Austin and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel were at the White House.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey had first hinted at the announcement during an Oct. 30 briefing at the Pentagon.
In a statement, Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said that U.S. Central Command will also “establish several sites across Iraq that will accommodate the training of 12 Iraqi brigades, specifically nine Iraqi army and three Peshmerga brigades.”
He also said, “Over the coming weeks, as we finalize the training site locations, the United States will work with coalition members to determine how many U.S. and coalition personnel will be required at each location for the training effort.”
Bureau Report
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